City of Edwardsville, Ill., Extends Public-Private Partnership for Water Services Another 15 Years

With a 15-year successful public-private partnership for water services already a part of local history, the City of Edwardsville, Ill., and USFilter Operating Services, Inc. (USFilter) have renewed their water services agreement for another 15 years. The renewal of this public-private partnership will save Edwardsville, a city with 40,000 water service customers, more than $12 million in operations and management costs for its water services and enable the city to make significant and needed improvements to its water and wastewater systems.
The $35 million contract authorizes USFilter to continue operating and maintaining the citys 7.78-million-gallon-per-day (MGD) water and 4.28-MGD wastewater treatment plants for another 15 years. Additionally, the company will undertake an $11 million capital improvement program that will include:
 designing and constructing a 1-MGD water storage tank;
 adding a standby generator at lift stations;
 installing a regional lift station and sewer main to lessen the burden on existing lift stations;
 enhancing the SCADA system;
 expanding the water treatment plant by adding softeners, pressure filters and aerators; and
 adding new water, sewer and force mains.
"The partnership not only benefits the city by saving money, but it also gives city officials pride in knowing that Edwardsville is planning for the future. We have worked really hard to determine our rehabilitation needs, and I am very pleased with the capital improvement decisions we made," said Edwardsville City Administrator Ben Dickmann. "The partnership shows our commitment to providing Edwardsvilles residents with even cleaner, safer water."
Like numerous American cities, the City of Edwardsville has a century-old water system in need of constant repair, and the city realized a continued public-private partnership was a good solution to updating and maintaining its systems. "We worked with the city to thoroughly examine the water and wastewater systems. We coupled our water expertise with that of the city to develop a long-term plan," said Bill Coleman, area manager, USFilter Operating Services. "This renewal is a win-win situation for both partners because it allows for better planning and more flexibility in accessing the necessary funding for capital improvements. And, 30 years of services  thats where well be at the end of this latest agreement. Thats a true-partnership."
USFilter partnered with the City of Edwardsville for the operations and maintenance of the citys wastewater plant in 1987. Including this latest pact, the contract has been renewed three times with the terms expanding to include water services and other components. USFilter has won numerous awards for its operation and management of the wastewater facility, including the Environmental Protection Agencys Certificate of Excellence in Safety Award. The USFilter staff has never had a lost-time accident in its history at the project.
"Weve had an exceptional partnership for water and wastewater services over the last 15 years. Knowing that we have a dependable team of experts handling our water systems and overseeing such important capital improvements makes it easier for city officials to extend our agreement another decade and a half," added Dickmann.